Sen. Sweeney: Practicing What He Preaches?

New Jersey State Sen. Stephen Sweeney angered thousands of unionized state workers in June by proposing a 15 percent cut in their pay and benefits to help balance the state budget. He said it's time to bring lucrative state salaries and benefits in line with the "real world."

Some public-sector union leaders have denounced Sweeney and called him a hypocrite. Here are three examples they give and his response:

1. Stephen Sweeney

He holds three jobs. He earns $123,000 working full time as a business agent for Ironworkers Union Local 399, $49,000 for being a state senator, and $17,908 as director of the Gloucester County Board of Chosen Freeholders. He gives his freeholder salary to charity, but counts the freeholder and Senate jobs toward his public pension.

After state workers criticized his pay-cut legislation as hypocritical, Sweeney introduced legislation that would reduce state legislative pay 15 percent, beginning in 2008.

Sweeney said he is going to drop one of his pensions - the one from the county job - as soon as he can.

"If there are to be pension cuts, we should start with elected officials and others that now qualify for pensions while working full time elsewhere," said Larry Cohen, national president of the Communications Workers of America.

2. Michelle Coryell

In December 2004, Sweeney hired the top aide in his county office as chief of staff for his Senate legislative office. At the time, Michelle Coryell earned $59,128 running Sweeney's freeholder office. She now makes $71,539 - a 21 percent increase - in the county job. She also makes $40,000 in her state legislative job, up from $28,000 - or 43 percent - when she was hired nearly two years ago.

Coryell manages 12 people in her legislative job, serving as the part-time chief of staff for Sweeney and two state assemblymen. Coryell is the daughter of Ed Coryell Sr., business manager of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America Metropolitan Regional Council of Philadelphia, whose pension and annuity fund is one of the investors in Philadelphia Media Holdings L.L.C., the Inquirer's parent company.

Sweeney defended Michelle Coryell's salary increases, saying she earned them.

"She works 70 hours a week," Sweeney said. "It's not even fair to bring her up in this."

Hetty Rosenstein, president of CWA Local 1037, which represents 8,400 social services workers, said her members work long hours, too.